Collection PL

About 1994.pl
Results for “gold rush era banking”
Australia 1877 City of Melbourne Bank Limited £20 specimen engraved by Bradbury Wilkinson, PMG 62 Uncirculated, unique surviving example

Australia 1877 - City of Melbourne Bank Limited £20 Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

The City of Melbourne Bank operated during a period when Victoria stood at the center of Australian financial power, fueled by gold-rush wealth and aggressive commercial expansion. Private banks competed directly for dominance, and their high-denomination notes functioned as instruments of confidence and institutional credibility rather than retail money. Read more →

AustraliaSpecimen187720 PoundsPMG 62 Uncirculated Specimen20 PoundsCity of Melbourne Bank LimitedBradbury WilkinsonBWCPick UnlistedColonial SpecimenEngraved Security PrintingAustralian Private BanknotesVictoria Banking HistoryPre-Federation FinanceGold Rush Era BankingSecurity Printing History19th Century BankingAustralian Monetary HistoryAustraliaVictoria1877PMG 62Museum GradeR9 Extremely RareUnique
Held
Ask PMG Census

Explore the collection

Australia 1880–1910 Commercial Bank of Australia £100 specimen, PMG 64 Choice Uncirculated

Australia 1880–1910 - Commercial Bank of Australia £100 Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

The central vignette features an allegorical figure of Commerce, holding a caduceus and globe, framed by intricate lathe-work and industrial motifs representing trade, manufacturing, and the expansion of colonial wealth. The vertical inscriptions in both Chinese and English remain one of the most unusual design choices of any 19th-century Australian note. The Chinese inscription reads '新金山金媽士銀行', literally identifying the institution as the 'New Goldfields' or 'New Gold Mountain Commercial Bank', with '金媽士' functioning as a Cantonese phonetic rendering of 'commercial'. The opening characters '新金山', New Gold Mountain, were a Chinese name associated with Victoria and Australia during the gold-rush era, distinguishing the Australian goldfields from the earlier 'Gold Mountain' of California.

Colonial Banking History Pre-Notes Act Era 19th Century Banking
Australia 1890 Bank of New South Wales £10 Melbourne Circular Note specimen, 18__ form with perforated SPECIMEN, large BANK OF NEW SOUTH WALES ornamental watermark, reverse London demand draft, Pick Unlisted, R9 Extremely Rare, unique

Australia 1890 - Bank of New South Wales £10 Melbourne Circular Note Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

The central text records the operating terms of the circular note. The presenting traveler was to be identified through the signature entered on the accompanying Letter of Indication. Once verified, the correspondent banker was instructed to pay ten pounds sterling without deduction at the exchange of the day on London, with settlement made against the traveler's draft on the London office of The Bank of New South Wales. The Accountant and Manager signature lines remain blank, preserving the piece in its unused specimen state.

Unissued Banking Instrument Australian Private Banking Australian Banking History International Banking Instrument Travel Banking Yellow Gold Underprint Melbourne London Banking Correspondent Banking 19th Century Banking
Australia 1890 Bank of New South Wales £10 Brisbane Circular Note specimen, 18__ form with perforated SPECIMEN and large BANK OF NEW SOUTH WALES ornamental watermark, Pick Unlisted, R9 Extremely Rare, unique

Australia 1890 - Bank of New South Wales £10 Brisbane Circular Note Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

The design combines formal banking script with an elaborate vertical engraved security panel at left carrying "BANK OF N.S.W." and a large yellow-gold underprint built around the denomination 10 across the central field. The paper is framed by a pale blue border and carries a large BANK OF NEW SOUTH WALES watermark together with oversized surrounding ornamental watermark elements extending across much of the sheet.

Unissued Banking Instrument Australian Private Banking Australian Banking History International Banking Instrument Travel Banking Yellow Gold Underprint Brisbane London Banking Correspondent Banking 19th Century Banking
↑ Top